Mattress handle assembly



Nov. 29, 1960 MATTRESS HANDLE ASSEMBLY Filed March 28, 1960 1N VENTOR. M'IcHAEL .Bscnm Fzs.6

ATTORNEYS M. BECHIK 2,961,669 7 United States atent O MATTRESS HANDLE ASSEMBLY Michael Bechik, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Bechik Products Inc., St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Mar. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 17,965

2 Claims. (Cl. 345) My invention relates generally to handles for flexible walls, such as mattress walls, and is in the nature of a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 800,497, filed March 19, 1959, now abandoned, Mattress Handle Assembly.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a novel, inexpensive, and highly efiicient mattress handle and means for securely anchoring same to a mattress wall.

A further and highly important object of my invention is the provision of a mattress handle of the type immediately above described wherein means is provided for freely ventilating the interior of the mattress through said handle, mattress wall, and anchoring means therefor.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class described including a novel grommet which may be readily inserted through the wall of a mattress without previously puncturing an aperture in said mattress wall.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class immediately above described in further combination with a novel clamping washer for use on the interior of the mattress wall which may be securely and safely applied without the use of any special tools.

The above and still further objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims, and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views;

Fig. 1 is a view in top plan of a mattress wall illustrating my novel handle attached thereto, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in longitudinal section as seen substantially from the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a still further enlarged view in bottom plan, some parts being broken away and some parts shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of my novel grommet;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating the bottom portion of my handle; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a cornplete mattress showing my handle attached to the side wall thereof.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in its entirety a matttress, the side wall 2 of Which is equipped with a conventional elongated handle 3 having enlarged head portions 3 at its opposite ends, each of which defines an aperture 5 the axes of which are normal to the plane of the wall 2.

Grommets, identified in their entirety by the numeral 6, include relatively flat perforate circular faces 7, the annular peripheral edge portions 8 of which overlie the head portions 4 of the handle 3 adjacent the marginal edges of the apertures 5. Preferably and as shown par ticularly in Fig. 2, the flanges 3 are received in annular channels or recesses 9 concentric with the apertures 5. Grommets 6 also include circumferentially spaced axially extended flexible anchoring fingers 10 which project through the apertures 5 in the heads 4 in closely-spaced relationship to the peripheral walls 11 thereof. As shown particularly in Fig. 2, the intermediate portionsofthe' flexible anchoring fingers 10 puncture and extend through the mattress wall 2 in radially outwardly spaced relationship to a ventilating opening therethrough, into the interior of the mattress 1.

In engagement with the inner surface 12 of the side wall 2, one each in concentric relationship to one of the grommets 6, are anchoring washers 13; the radially outer portions of which define flat flanges 1'4 and the inner edge portions of which define annular channels 15 of generally C-shaped cross section, the extreme inner edge portions of said washers 13 being back-turned to define retaining lips idwhich overlie the adjacent inner side edge portions of their respective channels 15. In practice, the extreme pointed free ends 17 of the anchoring fingers 10 initially engage the arcuate side walls 18 of the channels 15 as pressure is exerted between the faces 7 of the grommets 6 and the undersurfaces 19 of the channels 15. It will be noted that such force causes the free ends of the anchoring fingers 10 to curl radially inwardly in conformity with the cross sectional shape of the channels 15 in which they are received, the pointed ends 17 thereof finally coming into engagement with their respective anchoring lip portions 16. It Will be readily seen that in this manner the mattress wall intermediate the clamping washers l3 and the head portions 4 of the handle 3 becomes tightly compressed and all parts securely locked together.

It will be seen that the openings X in the mattress wall 2 are concentric with the apertures 5 in the opposite ends of the handle 3 and with the centered openings defined by the annular clamping washers 13. The openings X, apertures 5, and centered openings defined by the annular clamping washers 13 further cooperate with the perforated plates 7 to form a ventilating channel. With two of such handles on each opposite side wall of the mattress, it is obvious that etficient and highly desirable ventilation is provided for the relatively hollow interior of the mattress 1.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects, and while I have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, I wish it to be understood that same may be capable of modification without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a flexible mattress wall having a pair of spaced apertures therethrough, a handle member overlying the outer surface of said wall and having openings through its opposite end portions which are concentric with but of greater diameter than the apertures through said wall, grommet means for securing said handle to said wall, said grommet means including diametrically enlarged perforate heads the marginal edges of which overlie said handle marginally of said openings, a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending flexible anchoring fingers associated with each of said heads and projecting through the openings in said head and puncturing said mattress Wall in radially outwardly spaced relationship to the adjacent aperture in said wall, and anchoring washers overlying the inner surface of said mattress wall in concentric relationship to the apertures in said wall, said washers adjacent their inner edges being formed to define annular channels of generally C-shaped cross section, the extreme inner edges of said washers defining anchoring lips overlying the adjacent side portions of said channels, the free ends of said anchoring fingers being bent radially inwardly to conform to the shape of the channel in which they are seated and finally forcefully engaging said retaining lips, engagement of said fingers with said retaining lips causing the mattress wall intermediate said washers and said handle to be tightly compressed therebetween,

2. The combination with a flexible mattress wall of a handle assembly comprising a handle member overlying the outer surface of said wall and having an aperture therethrough the axis of which is normal to the plane of said wall, and grommet means for securing said handle member to said wall, said grommet means including a diametrically enlarged anchoring head overlying said handle member marginally of said opening, a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extended flexible anchoring fingers projecting through said aperture in closely spaced relation to the peripheral wall thereof and which puncture said mattress wall, and an anchoring washer having a fiat portion overlying the inner surface of said mattress wall in concentric radially outwardly spaced relationship to said aperture, said washer adjacent its inner edge being formed to define an annular channel having a generally C-shaped cross section with the extreme inner edge of said washer defining a retaining lip overlying the inner surface of said mattress wall immediately adjacent said opening and concentric therewith, the free ends of said anchoring fingers being bent radially inwardly in a loop to conform to the shape of said channel and finally forcefully engaging said retaining lip, engagement of said fingers with said retaining lip causing the mattress wall intermediate said washer and handle member to be tightly compressed therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Poupitch Mar. 10, 1959 

